Use an apostrophe when writing about someone (a noun) that has possession of something
Exactly, you use an apostrophe followed by the letter 's' (’s) to indicate that a noun possesses something. Here are various examples of how to apply possessive apostrophes in sentences:
1. Singular noun: Add ’s to the end of the noun.
- The dog’s leash is on the table. (The leash belongs to one dog.)
2. Plural noun that ends in s: Add only an apostrophe after the s.
- The dogs’ owner will be back soon. (The owner belongs to multiple dogs.)
3. Plural noun not ending in s: Treat it like a singular noun and add ’s.
- The children’s toys are scattered everywhere. (The toys belong to the children.)
4. Singular proper noun: Add ’s even if it ends with an s.
- Charles’s book is on the shelf. (The book belongs to Charles.)
5. Plural proper noun: Add an apostrophe after the s.
- The Simpsons’ house is the largest on the street. (The house belongs to the Simpson family.)
6. Indefinite pronouns: Also add ’s to show possession.
- Someone’s phone is ringing. (The phone belongs to someone.)
7. Joint possession: Add ’s to the last noun only.
- Jack and Jill’s pail is full of water. (The pail is jointly owned by Jack and Jill.)
8. Separate possession: Add ’s to each noun.
- Jack’s and Jill’s pails are full of water. (This implies Jack has one pail and Jill has another.)
Remember, possessive personal pronouns (like his, hers, its, ours, theirs, yours, whose) do not require an apostrophe because they already indicate possession. For example, "That book is hers."